Ahead of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini’s visit to Sirsa for a District Grievance Committee meeting on June 19, the Congress has questioned the condition of the city and accused the administration of carrying out temporary repairs to impress the CM.
Saini will chair the meeting at the Panchayat Bhawan complex, where around 15 public complaints and issues are expected to be taken up. This will be his first visit to Sirsa in his capacity as the official in charge of the district.
Preparations for the visit have already begun, with patchwork on damaged roads being carried out across the city. The Congress leaders have alleged that the repairs are merely cosmetic and aimed at presenting a better picture before the Chief Minister’s arrival.
Sirsa MLA Gokul Setia also took a swipe at the administration through a social media post. He claimed that “temporary development” would be visible only along the routes the Chief Minister is expected to travel and urged him to personally inspect villages and city areas to understand the ground reality.
The grievance committee meetings in Sirsa were earlier chaired by Cabinet Minister Anil Vij. After the last meeting, held on January 30, decisions on some pending agenda items were deferred. However, Vij could not return to Sirsa due to a leg injury, after which the Chief Minister took charge of the proceedings.
Meanwhile, Municipal Council Chairman Veer Shanti Swaroop has already submitted a memorandum to the CM seeking solutions to issues related to sewerage, drinking water supply and vacant posts in the council. Former Haryana minister Gopal Kanda has also written several letters raising concerns over alleged irregularities in public works and tendering processes.
Senior Congress leader Rajkumar Sharma urged the Chief Minister not to limit his visit to the meeting hall. In a letter, Sharma requested him to inspect the city personally and assess the condition of roads, drainage systems and other civic facilities.
He alleged that despite crores of rupees being spent on development projects, many major roads in Sirsa remained damaged. Sharma also claimed that roads were repeatedly dug up by different departments, leading to wastage of public money. He further alleged corruption in road repairs and drain-cleaning works and said the city continued to face waterlogging after even the first spell of rain.
Sharma appealed to the Chief Minister to verify the situation on the ground instead of relying solely on official reports and to ensure accountability of officials responsible for civic works.
